There and Back Again
by scipio96
Summary: Harry needs Griphook to help him break into Gringotts. Griphook wants to go home by having his exile from the Underground lifted. The only one who can convince the Goblin King to do this is Sarah Williams. Harry Potter and his friends find her and together, the 4 of them go to the Underground to keep their end of the bargain and save the wizarding world.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Hi! This is my first fanfic, so please be gentle with me. This is set in the 7th HP book. I realize that the movie Labyrinth and HP books were published in different years, but for the story's sake, only 5 years have passed since her trip to the Labyrinth. Oh! And Hedwig's still alive (because she's cool). Since this is a crossover, there's definitely going to be some big deviations from the original HP storyline (if you didn't expect that, I'm sorry). As for pairings… I haven't quite decided. I'm definitely not going to do any crossover pairings (sorry if I disappointed you) but aside from that, we'll see what happens.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Harry Potter_ or _The Labyrinth_ ; those belong to JK Rowling and Jim Henson respectively.

* * *

Harry was stuck. Not literally, though if he wasn't careful inside Shell Cottage he really would be stuck. Some of those hallways were remarkably narrow. No, Harry was stuck on what to do next. It wasn't as though Dumbledore had left him step by step instructions on how to defeat Voldemort (Step 1. Stay alive!); Dumbledore may have been great, but he was not straightforward. All those lessons on Tom Riddle's past to clue him in on how to find the Horcruxes could have been summed up in one sentence: He likes shiny things, so go find stuff with big brand names on them like Slytherin or Ravenclaw.

Sometimes, he wished he could just go to Voldemort right now and battle him till one of them keeled over. Dealing with the Ministry and enemies and even allies, sometimes, got exhausting. Everybody wanted to beat somebody else, but they also wanted other things. Take Griphook, for example. He was the whole reason Harry was sitting on the steps in the first place. Griphook wanted the Sword of Gryffindor in exchange for his help. Harry couldn't give it to him; he needed it to destroy the Horcruxes. They'd argued and tried to persuade him, but to no avail. Then Hermione asked if there was anything else he could even remotely want, and he said he wanted to go home to the Underground. The Underground? He didn't even know the goblins came from somewhere else! Apparently it was a kingdom of fae creatures with a Goblin King who had exiled Griphook by mistake; the King had meant to get rid of his cousin but got the name wrong.

Griphook told them to contact a girl named Sarah Williams. She would speak on his behalf. Why, Harry had no idea, but between giving up the Sword of Gryffindor or getting Sarah Williams to get Griphook out of exile, the answer was clear. Harry hoped this wasn't a trap of some sort for the Death Eaters to find them or just a prank Griphook was playing on them. But what choice did he have? The future of the wizarding world was depending on him.

He sighed and stood up. Sitting on the staircase with his head in his hands wasn't going to get him anywhere. Harry walked to around the house until he found Ron and Hermione talking quietly in the kitchen with some tea. They looked up at him expectantly. They already knew what he was going to say.

"Let's find Sarah Williams," he sighed. Hermione pulled out a letter, already sealed.

"I'll get Hedwig," offered Ron. Harry stared in surprise. Was he really that predictable?

* * *

Back in her apartment in Green Valley, California, Sarah Williams had just finished a report when she heard a scratching noise and looked up to find an owl at her window.

 _Oh no!_ her mind screamed. She covered her eyes and braced herself for broken glass. Her first impression was that _he_ had come back for revenge after 5 years. She'd been waiting for this day ever since she left the Labyrinth. She just knew it wasn't over. A moment passed and nothing happened. There was no noise, not even the scratching. She peeked out from under her arms and saw the owl sitting on her windowsill staring at her calmly. She suddenly felt embarrassed at her theatrics. Upon closer inspection, Sarah realized this owl _wasn't_ Jareth; it was waiting to be let in. In comparison, _he_ would have no problem blasting the window open without so much as a word of warning.

Deciding it was safe, she reached out and lifted her window. The owl flew in and landed right in the middle of her newly printed paper. She glared at it and hoped it didn't leave any marks on the paper. Printing was expensive for a college student, after all. The owl stuck out a leg and looked at her expectantly. She looked down and saw a small note attached. Intrigued, she untied it and read:

" _To Sarah Williams,_

 _My name is Hermione Granger and I'm a friend of Harry Potter. I can't talk about the details in case this gets intercepted, but we need your help. Please send a reply with your address and we'll meet you there._

 _Hermione Granger"_

Sarah blinked. She reread the note and blinked again. It sounded like some sort of prank except she'd never heard of these people before. It seemed like a lot of effort, maybe too much effort for a simple prank. After all, who trained owls to deliver letters? Speaking of… She glanced back at the owl still sitting on her desk. It was picking at her papers curiously now. She made a shooing gesture at it. It didn't help. She didn't know what to do now, except…

Crossing to the other side of her room, she stared into her dresser mirror and called, "Hoggle! I need you!"

After a few moments, Hoggle's face appeared in the mirror. He glanced around nervously. "Sarah? What's going on? I thought we were meeting tomorrow," he asked her. She waved the letter in her hand.

"I just got a letter from an _owl_ , no less, from this girl asking me for help. Come out and take a look," she offered. Hoggle hopped out of the mirror. He took the letter from her hand and read it silently. Another moment passed in silence as Sarah watched Hoggle's eyes widen and mouth drop open.

"So," she began after five minutes passed and he still hadn't looked up, "is this a prank or what?" Hoggle lowered the letter but kept it in his hand. Then he went over to her bed sat, turning to face her. He didn't know how to begin explaining the magnitude of this letter. He had to tell her _everything_.

"Have a seat, Sarah." He motioned at a spot next to him. "This is gonna take a while."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my ideas, thanks.

* * *

Sarah's mind was reeling. She couldn't believe what Hoggle had just told her, and that was saying a lot! Over the past 5 years, she and Hoggle talked about everything together. He told her bizarre, unbelievable stories about all the different creatures in the Labyrinth, except for the King. No matter how much Sarah nagged, pleaded, or threatened Hoggle, he never gave any hint as to what the King was or what he was up to right now. Growing up after her return from the Labyrinth hadn't been an easy transition and Hoggle had been with her the entire journey. He'd comforted her when she cried because the popular kids at school bullied her for having her head stuck in the clouds, he cheered her up and kept her awake when she needed to pull all nighters, and he was always there after a nasty break up or a date gone wrong. He'd seen her whole life and this entire time, he'd never revealed any secrets of his own.

Hoggle told her everything her knew about the wizarding world, which was a decent amount. The fact that there was a whole secret society of wizards and witches out there living side by side with normal people like her blew her mind. The biggest wizarding population, according to Hoggle, was in Salem, Massachusetts. She laughed out loud at that piece of information. _But then why didn't the witches leave after the witch hunt?_ She asked him. He'd snorted and gave her a look like it should've been obvious. If they were real witches, and some of them had been, they would have had no problem faking their deaths, especially since the muggles (non-magical people, he explained) didn't know the faintest thing about magic and often mistook random accidents for it.

He also told her a little about Harry Potter. He only knew his name, he admitted, because Jareth had laughed for days at how such a powerful dark wizard had been defeated by a mere baby, the very thing Jareth took from wishers. Hoggle only knew about wizarding societies and how they worked in relation to their muggle counterparts. He'd never paid attention to the actual events happening Aboveground, though now he wished he had.

She wondered what Harry Potter could possibly want with her. Hoggle said the Underground and other fae rarely got involved with Aboveground incidents, unless they were already living Aboveground. But generally speaking, fae on both ends tried to avoid coming in contact with each other for various reasons. Maybe he needed a place to hide, she mused. Or perhaps they wanted to know about her trip to the Underground. If that was the case, she thought, they'd have better luck trying to get Ludo to eat rocks than get her to talk. The entire trip had been a nightmare she wasn't eager to repeat.

Snapping back to reality, she looked to her right to find Hoggle staring at her uncertainly. "Sarah?" he asked.

"So what should I do now?" She ignored the unspoken question in his tone and got up from the bed.

"Maybe you could send a reply and find out what Harry Potter wants," he suggested hopefully. She glanced at the owl on her desk and winced.

"I guess so. Anything to get rid of the owl; it's eating my paper."

* * *

Back in Shell Cottage, Harry, Hermione and Ron sat at the kitchen table picking at their breakfast. It was the third day since they'd sent Hedwig out with a letter to Sarah Williams, and if wasn't back by tonight, they'd have no choice but to look for another option. They couldn't afford to waste any more time trying to track down somebody who may or may not still be alive.

Harry poked at his chocolate chip pancakes. They were torn to bits and scattered all over his plate, the chocolate smearing everything. It represented the state of the wizarding world, he thought. Both sides were covered in chocolate flavored doubts, the holes from his fork representing deaths that tore the pancakes apart into little bits, no longer whole. He didn't feel so hungry anymore. Standing up to bring his plate to the sink, he glanced out the window for the fiftieth time that morning and saw a blur of white heading this way.

"Ron! Hermione! It's Hedwig!" he cried, dropping his plate and running out to meet her.

"Blimey, did she just crash into the window?" Ron asked, alarmed.

Hedwig was dead tired. It took the average owl 2 days to fly one way from Britain to America; she'd just flown both ways in that time. Once she caught sight of the cottage, she allowed herself to slow down just a little bit. Her wings were lead and the urge to groom them was almost impossible to resist, but resist she did because Hedwig knew it was important to get back as soon as possible. Her master didn't know Sarah Williams lived so far away, and would assume that something had gone wrong if she wasn't back soon. As she drew closer and closer, she found it impossible to stop in time and ended up crashing into the window and knocking herself unconscious. This was perfectly fine for her, she decided, since she would've fallen asleep the moment she touched the ground anyways.

Harry ran out front in a panic. He was reminded of fifth year, when Hedwig had come back with a broken wing and prayed this wasn't a repeat of that incident.

"Is she alright?" asked Hermione as they caught up with him. He nodded.

"Yeah, she looks fine. Doesn't seem like she hit the glass very hard," Harry replied. Ron pointed at her leg. "

And look, she's got a reply!"

All three crouched in the grass around Hedwig's body as Harry gently lifted her leg and untied the letter. He read aloud:

" _131B Hallow Road, Green Valley, California. Come any time today.—Sarah Williams"_

Ron blinked in surprise. "What, that's it then? Just an address? And where's California? I've never heard of that city before!"

Hermione's and Harry's eyes widened as they recognized the name. California. _Sarah Williams was American._

* * *

AN: Hi! I've revised this and the first chapter if you haven't noticed. Moved some events up I think, because I just didn't like how the story was flowing. It seemed kind of boring and awkward to me. Anyways, hope you enjoy it!


	3. Chapter 3

**If you read the first 2 chapters, I've done a complete rewrite of them. I didn't like how they sounded, etc, etc, but the events have shifted and you might miss something if you don't reread them. Thanks!**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my ideas.

* * *

"I don't know, Harry, what if it's a trap? I mean, it could be some Death Eaters luring us out into the open and vulnerable since America's got nothing to do with this war," doubted Ron. They were currently packing their things and getting ready to Apparate to Sarah Williams' apartment. Hermione stuffed some extra bottles of Dittany that Fleur had given her earlier into her bag. Apparating to another continent would be dangerous and one could never have too much Dittany.

"I've been wondering this for a while, but why hasn't it gotten involved? It's a pretty big country with plenty of witches and wizards of its own," questioned Hermione.

"Lupin said Voldemort's return was kept pretty quiet. I mean, up until recently, most of Britain didn't even believe he'd returned. Maybe they just haven't figured it out yet," Harry offered. He sat back and looked around the room. "I think I've got everything. How about you guys?" They nodded their consent. All three stood up and grabbed their things. "Alright, let's go," he said, and with 3 loud cracks, Harry, Hermione and Ron Apparated to 131B Hallow Road in Green Valley, California.

* * *

Thank god it was Saturday, Sarah thought as she stood in her kitchen waiting for the kettle to boil. Her midnight visitors were sitting in the other room at the dining table. Two of them sat nervously but otherwise normally, compared to the redheaded one who acted like he'd never seen light bulbs or TVs in his life. He kept whispering loudly to his friends about "the stuff Dad's always obsessed about! So this is how it all works!" She kept an eye on that one; he seemed like he'd freak out if the phone rang.

A shrill noise filled the air announcing the water was ready. Sarah took the kettle and poured some water into 4 cups with cocoa powder. She placed them on a tray and set it down at the center of her square table. Muttering their thanks, they all took a moment to stir and blow at their drinks. A few minutes passed in silence as all four stared awkwardly into their mugs trying to figure out what to say. Hermione decided to break the silence.

"So," she began, and three heads snapped up to stare at her, "first, thank you for having us over, Ms. Williams. I'll introduce us again, since we haven't been properly introduced."

 _That's for sure_ , Sarah smirked. She supposed she shouldn't be finding the situation funny, but she always tended to laugh at all the wrong moments. She cast her mind back to the events earlier this evening. She'd been getting her homework reprinted since the owl had eaten a good chunk of it when she heard three loud noises behind her and turned to find some teenagers staring at her curiously. Nobody knew what to say until Sarah decided she couldn't sit like this all night and asked if they wanted something to drink. They accepted.

Tuning back in to Hermione's words, she heard her introduce herself as Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. "Ron," the redhead quickly corrected. Sarah smiled.

"You can call me Sarah," she told them. Setting her mug down, she continued, "Now, what can I do for you three? I have it on good authority that you're wizards, famous wizards in fact, and I'm a muggle. Not exactly the most helpful person in your situation, am I?"

Harry answered her. "Well, actually, it's sort of complicated," he said apologetically. They explained how they needed a goblin to break into the Gringotts bank, which would help them get something that would help defeat the Dark Lord, and in order to get the goblin's cooperation, they needed her to go back to the Underground and convince the King of Goblins to lift said goblin's exile. Then, realizing she knew almost nothing of the war going on, they explained the story behind Harry's scar, the attempts on his life for the past 6 years, and their current mission. Once they were finished, she sat back and let out a breath.

"You've certainly got your hands full, don't you?" she commented. Listening to them describe Harry's near death experiences brought back memories of her own so long ago. She felt equal amounts of terror and excitement course through her at the thought of going back to the Underground. Of course she'd help them; from what they said, this Dark Lord person seemed like a wizard version of Hitler, and she certainly didn't want a repeat of what happened the last time somebody let Hitler on the loose.

She thought back to the Underground. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as she feared. At the time, her 15-year old self had never seen anything like the Labyrinth before, couldn't imagine something like that actually existed. She'd been scared of the unknown, the chance that maybe her next step would be her last and she'd be falling down into another oubliette or bog. Now, with Hoggle by her side and all the information he'd given her for the past 5 years, she felt more prepared. Maybe it was about time she finally got over her nightmare and moved on. And if she was really honest with herself (though she'd never admit this to anybody, not even Hoggle) she was looking forward the tiniest bit to meeting You-Know-Who again. She wondered if he looked any different from 5 years ago and what would his reaction be when he saw her? Would he bog her on the spot or ask her why she returned? Or maybe, and her breath hitched, he'd repeat his last offer: _Fear me, love me, do as I say…_

Shaking her head to stop that train of thought, she looked up to find all three of her guests staring at her. They were waiting for an answer, she realized. With her mouth splitting into an excited grin, she asked them, "When do we leave?"

* * *

AN: And that's a wrap! How do you feel about Sarah? Like her? Hate her? Let me know, leave a review!

On an unrelated note, does anybody watch Doctor Who? I've just finished series 2 with the 10th doctor and I'm completely crushed. Rose is gone! (Yes, I ship 10/Rose) Well, at least Catherine Tate's there (haven't started series 3 yet). She's hilarious!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my ideas.

* * *

Harry and Ron didn't even bother concealing their surprise. "Wait, so that's it then? You're coming with us?" asked Ron. She shrugged.

"Well, you don't get a chance to save the world every day," Sarah said easily. She got up and started putting dishes away. "Let me just get rid of these and then I'll get some stuff together and we'll leave. Sound good?"

"Here, let me help you with that," Harry said. He waved his wand and the dishes started cleaning themselves. Sarah beamed at him.

"Now that was cool. I wish I were magic," she said wistfully. "It'd be useful for so many things. Doing the laundry, cleaning up…" Ron stared at her like she'd lost it. Then again, from his surprised reaction when she'd agreed to come, maybe he already thought she was nuts.

"Are you serious? You want magic just to wash your bloody clothes? Magic can do so much more than that!"

"Of course it can, Ron, but it's not always about the bigger picture. Sometimes, you have to deal with the details," answered Sarah. Ron just looked confused and gave up.

Hermione had been laughing quietly at the table at their banter and stood now, drawing everybody's attention to her. "The dishes are done," she pointed out. "Shall we leave now?"

Sarah nodded. "Alright. Should I bring anything with me? Clothes? Food?"

Harry shook his head. "We're going to a safe house. There should be enough food for everybody and you can always borrow Fleur's clothes."

"Sounds good!" Sarah stepped a little closer to the trio. "So how do we get there?"

"We're going to Apparate. It's like teleporting," explained Hermione. "Just hold on to Harry's arm and don't let go until we get to the cottage. You're going to feel a little dizzy afterwards, but that's normal. Ready?" They paired off, Hermione and Ron, Harry and Sarah, and Apparated back to Shell Cottage.

Four cracks broke the peaceful silence of Shell Cottage as Harry and his friends returned victorious from their mission to recruit Sarah Williams. Sarah stumbled away from Harry feeling more than a little nauseous when she heard a cry of pain from her left. Looking up she saw Ron crouched on the ground, bleeding into the floor.

"He's splinched!" shouted Harry. "Quick, Hermione, the Dittany!"

Sarah watched as Hermione reached into her bag and pulled out a small bottle. She rushed over to Ron's side, picking something up on her way, and —Sarah stared in shock—reattached the hand she'd found on the floor with his wrist. She and Harry proceeded to levitate him onto the bed and clean up the blood. Ron sat shakily on the edge recovering.

"What was that?" Sarah demanded. "He was fine when we left, and then all of a sudden his hand falls off?" Harry glanced back at her from his seat on the side of the bed.

"It's a side effect of Apparating sometimes. It's called splinching. We aren't used to Apparating somewhere so far away; I'm surprised it was just his hand. Last time, he splinched most of his arm off. At least he's getting better at it." Sarah just shook her head. Wizards, losing body parts trying to teleport places! She was never going to get used to this. Hermione finished checking on Ron and helped him up from the bed.

"Alright then, shall we go visit Griphook?" The other two nodded and followed her out the door.

They walked into a corridor and down some stairs, turned left and entered Griphook's room at his "Enter". As they stepped inside, Sarah took a good look around the room. It was fairly sparse, with no additional decorations or furniture to make it anything more than a room. There was a small bed in the corner with a plain wooden chair. The walls were a neutral off-white color that matched the drapes hanging open by the window. Sarah took in the sword leaning against the wall opposite the bed and noticed a tray of untouched food on the blankets of the goblin. Then she glanced at the goblin's face and let out a surprised laugh.

" _Hoggle?_ " Harry and the others turned back to give her confused looks.

"What are you talking about? This is Griphook!" said Ron. He was right, she was definitely a nutter. Mistaking her own friend for a — _Wait did she just mistake a goblin for another goblin?_

Griphook stared at her, unsurprised by her reaction but shocked she'd even agreed to come. He wondered what Harry had to promise her to get her here. Hermione and Harry had come to the same conclusion as Ron and were staring at Sarah, silently demanding an explanation. She was still staring at Griphook, now thoroughly confused. Stepping closer, she examined his face in more detail. His face was very similar to Hoggle's she realized, but this wasn't him. There was a definite pointiness to his ears and nose that Hoggle lacked, giving his features an angrier look. She looked up to apologize for her outburst when she noticed the look on everybody's faces.

"What?" she asked, confused. "Why are you all staring at me like that?"

"We should be the ones asking the questions here," said Harry. He stepped in front of her, slightly angry. "Who are you really? How do you know any goblins? You're a muggle! And just why exactly does Griphook think you can help him?"

* * *

She thought they already knew. Now that she realized they didn't know anything about her, she was surprised it took them this long to wonder who the stranger they were bringing with them to their secret base was. Not a very smart thing to do, she thought.

After Harry's outburst, Sarah told them all about her adventure in the Underground, starting from the time she wished Toby away until the moment she returned home. Of course, they didn't really believe her on the spot. They were wizards and witches who already knew about magic and magical creatures; why hadn't they ever heard of this Underground before? Or the story about the Goblin King. If he was so powerful, how come nobody knew about him? At that, Sarah had to call Hoggle out from a mirror to help her explain, since she didn't know much about it either. That was where they were now, standing around a small bedroom staring at a twin goblin of the one in the bed. Nobody had said anything for 5 minutes, and Sarah was getting tired of shocked silences.

" _Hoggle,_ " the goblin jumped at the sharp noise, "Care to explain what's going on here?"

"Oh, you mean the, um, goblin in the bed over there?" he gulped. After all the secrets she found out Hoggle had kept from her all these years, she was _so_ not in the mood for anymore of this.

"Of course I mean that goblin, or do you see any other goblin in this room besides the two of you? Why does he look like you? Why do I get the strangest feeling you're involved in this somehow?" she exploded.

"It's because it's his fault I'm here in the first place," said Griphook quietly from behind them. They all turned to see him glaring at Hoggle. "My real name is Higgle, and I was mistakenly exiled because of this fool betraying his King and helping _you_ get through the Labyrinth."

* * *

AN: I definitely have way too much time on my hands. Getting a chapter out every few days? At least we're starting to get somewhere. I think the chapters are going to get longer from now on. Anyways, leave a review or PM me if you have questions, comments, or just want to say hi! Thanks!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my ideas.

* * *

"Every creature in the Underground gets documented for the records, but because Hoggle is an illegitimate piece of filth on our father's side he doesn't register as a proper citizen," Higgle began. "There's seven of us in all, including Hoggle. There's Hedgewart, Hogbrain, Hoghead, Hogwart, Hogwash, and myself." Sarah blinked.

"Hey, wait a second, I recognize some of those! The King never got Hoggle's name right and called him those instead." Now that she thought about it, hadn't she also called Hoggle Hogwart? Higgle nodded.

"We all look pretty similar. It doesn't help that our names aren't very creative. We're descended from the line of Hog, you see," he explained. "Anyways, back to the point at hand. Officially on the record, it says we're a family of 6, so when the King moved to exile Hoggle, the only name he could find closest to Hoggle's was mine. We were born in the same year, that's why our names are so similar," he added as a side note. He wanted to get all the details down so they wouldn't ask as many questions at the end. He'd barely started and they were already interrupting.

"But couldn't the King just send him away without looking for names? It's not like he didn't know Hoggle's," Hermione pointed out. Higgle held back a frustrated sigh.

"Look. We may be a whole different people from you wizarding lot, but we still have laws and rules and paperwork to deal with just the same as you all. The King could banish as many people as he pleased this very moment, but he'd also have to document it for the records and legal purposes." Sarah couldn't believe how normal it sounded. Paperwork and laws! Then again, the last time she'd run through Goblin City, she'd sort of destroyed a lot of it with Ludo's help. Not a lot of time to admire the structure of goblin society, she supposed.

"So the King found your name in the register and probably assumed he'd misheard Hoggle's name and had you exiled from the Underground to Gringotts bank," summarized Harry. The goblin nodded. So that's what Griphook had been talking about when he first demanded they find Sarah. Things were starting to come together and Harry was glad at least one situation was beginning to get resolved.

"But why would working at Gringotts be such a horrible punishment?" asked Ron. Handling money all day didn't sound that bad to him. If looks could kill, Hoggle would have dropped dead on the spot at the look Higgle now aimed at him.

"Because," said Higgle, still glaring at Hoggle, "there's hardly any fae magic in the air Aboveground. You humans survive through eating creatures and plants and drinking water. But what about your magic? It's based in your own energy, so you replenish it by eating, just like anything else. The Fae eat and drink, but out magic comes from a deeper part of us. We _are_ magic and therefore need to be surrounded by it to survive. When we're deprived of it, we slowly wither and grow weaker until we die from magic deprivation. It takes years, maybe decades, to get to that point, even hundreds of years if you're especially old and powerful.

"You _knew_ I'd been sentenced to exile for your crimes, but you did nothing about it. I've been up here _dying_ while you've been off who knows where, as healthy as ever!" Higgle shouted at Hoggle. Hoggle winced and looked away.

"I'm… I'm a coward," he admitted, ashamed. "I couldn't go back there. I was already Aboveground with Sarah, celebrating, when I got the news the King was looking for me. I thought he'd just drop the charges when he couldn't find me. I never thought he'd press them on you," he apologized. "When I found out, it was too late."

"You could've come back and cleared up this whole mess!" Higgle screamed at him. He lost the last of his composure and pointed at Hoggle accusingly. "We've always treated you like one of our own, always taken care of you and protected you because you were the youngest, but it looks like all our efforts to spare you from Father's temper just spoiled you rotten," he said, disgusted.

"I'm sorry," whispered Hoggle. He sat on the floor with his hand covering his eyes. He couldn't bear to look at any of their faces. "I'm sorry."

They stood there watching him for a moment in awkward silence. Then Ron spoke.

"So now what? Do we keep the original plan and go to the Underground and meet the Goblin King?" Harry deliberated for a moment before nodding and standing up.

"Tell you what, Hoggle," Harry said. "If you help us get to the Underground, we won't turn you in or let anyone know you helped us. We'll get Grip-Higgle's exile revoked on our own. Is that a deal?" Hoggle nodded and raised his hand.

"Deal." They shook on it. Harry turned to the rest of them and said, "It's getting late and we've all got a lot to think about. Let's get some rest and start tomorrow."

* * *

Harry turned off the light in his shared bedroom with Ron.

"G'night," Ron said. Harry let out a yawn.

"'Night," he replied. He shifted in his bed and thought back to today's events. This day had been beyond weird, he decided. Sometimes, Harry still felt like his entire life was one big dream and he'd wake up and realize he was still living with the Dursleys and going to some school with a horrible gray uniform. He would worry he'd just imagined being a wizard and learning magic and that wonderful feeling of excitement and amazement at seeing Diagon Alley and Hogwarts for the first time.

Harry now felt the same about the Labyrinth and the Underground. It'd been hard enough to really wrap his mind around the fact that wizards existed all over the world in secret, blending in with muggles, and now he was supposed to accept that an entire kingdom of magical creatures lived right beneath his feet? Maybe his subconscious was making this all up and he _was_ dreaming, and when he woke up they'd be back to trying to get Griphook to help them break into Gringotts. He'd just decided that line of thinking was too depressing to continue when he heard some laughter break the silence in the room. This was followed by loud shushing, along with some soft giggles. Ron groaned and spoke.

"What d'you reckon they're on about?" he asked Harry. Harry shrugged.

"Do you really want to know?" he replied. Good point. They ignored the soft noises coming down the hall and went to sleep.

Meanwhile, Sarah and Hermione weren't even close to sleeping. After the four split up, the two girls had gone straight to their shared room. The moment the door closed, the two girls began grilling each other with questions about each other's lives and experiences. Sarah learned Hermione was a muggle-born, meaning she hadn't known she was magical until she got the letter from Hogwarts, and also that they shared a passion for science and literature and all things David Bowie. Hermione told her that the wizarding world didn't come close to anything the muggle world had to offer in terms of music.

Wizards, she admitted, didn't really listen to much music. They spent their time more on spells and potions and trying to come up with magical ways to avoid doing the previous two. The two laughed as Hermione told her story after story of the times Ron and Harry tried to get out of doing schoolwork and ended up with detention and a mess. In the end, she always ended up doing most of the work for them, since they were her only friends and where would she be if they got held back a year? They were goofs, but she loved them both.

"What kinds of classes do you take in Hogwarts?" asked Sarah. The two were on the ground between their two beds, surrounded by animal-shaped pillows Hermione transfigured at Sarah's insistence. Hermione thought for a moment before answering.

"Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Astronomy, History of Magic, and some other courses depending on your scores and what you want to do in the future. Of course, I took them all, along with some more, last year. We didn't go back to Hogwarts this year," she explained.

"That's fascinating," Sarah breathed. "Even you guys get a history class. I wonder, do any muggle events ever overlap with your history texts?" Hermione nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course! Major events like the world wars and depression hit everybody hard. Not to mention, sometimes famous people in the muggle world aren't actually muggles." Hermione was ecstatic, talking with Sarah. She'd always wanted somebody to talk to like this, someone who understood both worlds and was interested in these sorts of crossovers. Harry had never been very studious, and since he had most of his education from Hogwarts, he knew almost nothing about muggle science or famous writers or other ground breaking people. Hermione leaned in closer to Sarah.

"You know the story about the apple falling on Newton's head, right?" Sarah nodded. "Do you really think the apple fell of its own accord?" Her eyes widened.

" _No way_." No way no way no way. Hermione burst out laughing.

"It's true!"

"But, but the idea of gravity was still all Newton!" Sarah protested. Hermione shook her head, grinning.

"It was planted like a seed in Newton's mind, and all he needed was a little push to put all the pieces together." Sarah's brain just couldn't keep up anymore.

"And Einstein? Don't tell me all those ideas came from some wizard messing with his head too!"

"Nope! Einstein _was_ a wizard!" And at that, Sarah picked up a pillow and swung at Hermione.

* * *

AN: I hope you liked this chapter! Things are officially joining my world now, where the grass is made of chocolate and the Doctor exists (Yeah, I wish). But this story is definitely going on its own path and won't be rejoining anything canon for a long time. I would've posted this yesterday, but FFnet was having some weird login issue. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed that second half of the chapter; it was ridiculously fun to write. PM or leave a review if you've got questions, thoughts you want to share, etc. Thanks!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my ideas.

* * *

The next morning passed uneventfully. The four ate breakfast (pancakes, of course, why would anyone eat anything else for breakfast?) and informed Bill that they'd be gone for the day but hopefully back by tomorrow. And if they weren't… Harry couldn't come up with a suitable answer and just pretended like he hadn't said anything to begin with.

They met Hoggle in Higgle's room, where he stared at them with a grumpy expression until they were finally finished packing and preparing and ready to leave.

"Can we leave now?" he asked for the hundredth time.

"What's the rush, Hoggle? You're not the one who has to see the King," Sarah replied, still bitter at all the new things she'd discovered about him these past two days. He ignored her. She frowned. For somebody who was supposed to be her friend, he sure wasn't acting like it.

The mirror rippled under Hoggle's hand until there was a tunnel where smooth glass used to be.

"Come on, we go through here. And no magic, or we'll be detected," Hoggle told them.

"Go where, though?" Ron asked suspiciously. Hoggle rolled his eyes.

"To the castle, where else are you going to find the King? Now hold my hand and make sure you don't ever let go. If you do, it's not my problem where you end up."

"But it's so dark!" Ron protested. Sarah resisted the urge to slap him. Hermione just sighed.

"That's not a problem for me. Now do you want to go or not? The portal won't stay open forever." Hoggle began walking to the mirror.

"Come on." Harry went up and grasped Hoggle's hand, the other following suit. With their hands linked, they walked single file through the mirror and into the darkness before them.

* * *

Like all tunnels, it was dark and damp. However, this one came with a bonus:

"What's that smell?" Ron gagged. It smelled like death, or Aunt Muriel's feet. Hoggle snorted.

"The tunnels are linked to the Bog of Eternal Stench. It's only natural some of it comes through." Hermione peered around them.

"And the light? Where's that coming from?" The tunnel was dimly lit, though she could see it originated from somewhere. Hoggle didn't answer, instead telling them to shut up and focus on walking.

They appeared to be following the light, literally, as it grew a little brighter as time passed. Sarah didn't know how long they'd been walking in silence until Hoggle suddenly stopped. Harry stumbled over his short figure.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"Quiet! Something's here."

They stood against the wall, holding their breaths as the clop of hooves echoed around them. The sound grew closer and the air grew chillier and they could make out the creature's breathing. It was a black horse with an empty saddle. It trotted past them slowly, as though it knew they were there but couldn't quite locate them. Eventually, it walked away down a darker tunnel. They let out a sigh of relief.

"What was that?" Ron demanded. Harry collapsed against the wall, pale and faint.

"Harry!" Hermione rushed to support him. She was about to Accio a chocolate bar from her bag until she remembered the no magic rule. She opted for putting her arm around him and helped him stand.

"What was that?" Harry repeated Ron's question after resting a moment. "It felt like a Dementor."

Hoggle glanced around them before answering. "I can't answer that," he informed them. "We are bound by the Labyrinth to keep its secrets."

Sarah glared at his reply. This didn't make any sense.

"Wait a minute." She stepped in front of Hoggle and leaned over him, trying to intimidate him. He stood his ground and stared straight back at her, matching her glare. This was definitely odd.

"For the past 5 years," she began slowly, "You've been telling me all about the creatures of the Labyrinth. What makes this one so different?" Hoggle scowled and made to push past her, but she blocked him with her leg.

"Tell me _now_ , Hoggle." It was his last warning. Letting out an irritated huff, he obliged.

"I fed you false information. Isn't that obvious enough, you stupid girl?"

Sarah didn't think she'd ever seen Hoggle like this before. He was colder, angrier, and more stuck up than a pin cushion.

" _What_?"

Hoggle straightened up and lifted his head to stare her straight in the eyes once again. She saw no hesitation as he faced her full on.

"I _said_ I fed you false information. I lied to you about everything. How much simpler can I make it?" Sarah stared at him, mouth open, as she tried to connect this cunning, condescending creature with her friend Hoggle.

"Now that we're going back to the Underground, it's no longer necessary to keep this stupid cover. I've put up with 5 years of whiny, spoiled brat and I'm not putting up with any more if I can help it. The King promised to make me a prince if I kept up the act after you went back home, and I've been waiting for the day I could bring you back. He'll be pleased, I'm sure, at your return." Hoggle finished the last line with vengeful relish. She stared with a blank mask now, carefully choosing her next words.

"So this is what you really are. The King isn't a rat, _you_ are! Higgle was right about you being spoiled. He was spot on about _everything_ , you coward." Hoggle glared unflinchingly back.

"What happens if I just leave right now? I could run off somewhere into the tunnels, maybe get myself killed and then where would you be?" She tried to sound threatening, but it just wasn't her forte; she sounded more hurt than angry.

Hoggle rolled his eyes. "As if you could. I'm under no obligation to lead your friends to the King. The deal we made earlier about keeping my involvement a secret doesn't apply, since he already knows about me. Could you really leave your friends alone in the Underground?"

Sarah didn't think it was possible to be this angry and not explode. She wanted to squish his face into the ground until it was flatter than a piece of paper.

"Fine," she bit out. "Lead the way."

They continued their march in silence. Sarah was too upset not to lash out at everybody and they could practically see the smugness radiating from Hoggle. Harry, Ron and Hermione felt even more awkward than if they'd caught Snape kissing Dumbledore. On second thought, maybe not. That thought was too horrific to comprehend.

After the Quietest Hour of Ron's Life, they came to a stop at one of the many openings in the tunnel. Luckily, they hadn't encountered anymore creepy lurkers in the tunnels. This opening was the brightest and if she squinted, Hermione could make out a giant hedge and some stone benches.

Hoggle hopped through the portal and the others followed, carefully avoiding the edges of the portal that seemed to fade into the walls at different places. Having been in the dark for so long, they squinted against the light the red-orange skies cast. Unlike the tunnels, there was no sun in the sky, which led Hermione to wonder once again where the light was coming from.

Hoggle began walking immediately towards the hedge wall.

"Hey! Wait!" Harry called.

"We're going to walk through here," Hoggle explained impatiently. He was so close to his crown, he could almost taste it. Figuratively speaking, of course.

"Hold on, so you're really leading us to the castle?" Ron asked.

"Why wouldn't I? You're my leverage, and you've got nothing to bargain with. If you run off, you'll never make your way back Aboveground. Now get a move on."

Ron grumbled under his breath. He'd known this was a bad idea from the start. First of all, Sarah Williams was American! They had nothing to do with the war! Not to mention, she was a _muggle_ of all things. Could any person be more useless and clueless? Now they were in some weirder-than-Dumbledore place with a stuck up goblin and no leverage to get away.

Hoggle prodded him in the back to get them moving. They walked like prisoners of war to the front of the hedge, where the four stopped and stared at Hoggle, confused.

"You're expecting us to walk through this?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Just walk."

Harry hesitantly took a step into the hedge, where the illusion disappeared and a doorway-sized patch of the Labyrinth opened up for them to see the castle directly in front of them. There were armed guards stationed all over the perimeter and the gates were currently closed; however it wasn't long before a goblin in armor spotted 4 humans gawking at their castle and decided they should do something about it.

The guard ran till it reached them and pointed its spear suspiciously. "Who are you? What business do you have here?"

Hermione looked around for Hoggle, but he seemed to have disappeared. Realizing this, Sarah stepped forward.

"I'm Sarah Williams, Champion of the Labyrinth. I'm here to see the King."

The goblin nearly fell over in surprise. "Lady Sarah? It's really you?" She nodded. "But who are they?" He motioned with his spear at the trio, who backed away cautiously.

"They're my friends. We're here on official Champion business, and we're kind of on a schedule, so if you would just escort us to the King, that'd be lovely," she answered smoothly. The goblin nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course, my lady. Follow me, please." He turned and walked back in the direction of the castle. Sarah exchanged a look with Harry before they shrugged and followed.

This certainly wasn't as scary as she thought it'd be. Hoggle had hinted she'd be bogged or punished in some way, but the guard had been so… courteous. Come to think of it, his speech was certainly more refined than she remembered.

Too soon, they reached the entrance to the castle and the gates opened to let them in. The short walkway leading to the doors had been repaired, she noted absently, and faeries fluttered from flower to flower, following their progress with their eyes. Hermione blinked as the tree she'd been eyeing most definitely waved at her.

They stopped at the closed doors. Their goblin guide spoke to the guards at the door and they tapped their staffs against the ground, announcing, "The Champion returns! Open the doors!"

Sarah blushed at the eyes she could feel drilling holes into the back of her head. Maybe she shouldn't have pulled that card. There had to be other ways of seeing the King that didn't involve throwing your status around.

It was a few more minutes of walking through beautiful, portrait-lined hallways and plush, marbled rooms before they reached the throne room. Harry and his friends had stayed quiet throughout the entire trip, which Sarah though was quite an achievement, given Ron's track record. She hoped they weren't judging her based on their current experience.

She snuck a look behind her and realized they weren't judging anything; they were too busy gawking at the chandeliers hanging above them and the various goblins and non-goblin fae walking around, who stared at them equally curiously.

Some of the fae were rather attractive and human-shaped, which made her wonder where they'd been when she ran through the castle last time. Maybe Jareth didn't want competition, so he hid them away on her run. Though, with the tightness of his pants, how could anyone look anywhere else? Not that she had, of course, looked… much.

She was brought out of her thoughts by their guide stopping at a set of very expensive-looking oak doors.

Turning to them, he said, "This is the throne room. The King is currently holding court with some ambassadors, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind the interruption. Shall we?"

At Sarah's nod, he opened the doors.

"Announcing Sarah Williams, Champion of the Labyrinth, and friends, to see the King of the Labyrinth and Underground."

* * *

AN: Yes! I've finally hit over 2000 words! Anyways, besides that… I've got some bad news, guys. I want to try to finish this before my school starts (my college is weird; we start in late September) which means I've only got so many days left before my time goes back to homework and classes and all those other god-awful things that come with schooling.

For this story, that means I'm going to have to get rid of a lot of the cool stuff I was planning on putting into this story, but never fear! I had planned for some angsty Sarah and Evil!Jareth, but I think I'll save that for an entirely separate story which I will write... eventually. The plot bunny's too strong to ignore with that one, so I will definitely get around to it.

And as always, feel free to leave a review or PM me with questions, comments, etc. I would love to know if somebody out there is a Whovian, so I don't feel as lonely over here. (Made it to series 4, yay!) And for my fellow Americans, Happy Labor Day!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my ideas.

* * *

There was a deafening silence in the throne room. Everyone was frozen in place as Sarah and the trio stepped hesitantly into the room. The sound of the doors closing behind them echoed.

Sarah's eyes went straight to the throne, which was disappointingly empty. Where was he? She scanned the sides of the room, where various fae sat like spectators watching the court proceedings.

Not there either.

She looked towards the center of the room and saw him standing with his hand outstretched towards two other fae that looked remarkably like her favorite meat. Had he been talking to the _chicken ambassadors_?

His was the only head that wasn't turned in their direction. He took his time, lowering his hand first and then turning his head to the left until he locked eyes with her. They stared at each other for what must have been an eternity, her eyes widening in shock as the reality of the moment hit her, and his remaining unreadable. Finally, he broke contact with her and let his gaze rove over her companions.

Harry stepped forward.

"Your majesty," he greeted with a bow. He'd seen it in movies, and weren't all kings the same?

"Harry Potter." Jareth tilted his head slightly. "And his two loyal friends." Hermione drew in a breath at the recognition.

He was attractive in that Fae way, all unearthly beauty and youth. He looked at her and she could feel the strength of his gaze like a force of nature, wild and untamable. She could tell in that moment this mission wouldn't be as simple as it sounded.

"You've certainly chosen the perfect time to visit me." Jareth's voice held amusement with a hint of inquisitiveness. Sarah snorted. As if he didn't know why they were there.

Jareth turned back to the chicken ambassadors and dismissed them, or rather, told them they could enjoy their new home in the Bog of Eternal Stench. The court cheered as the crystal sent them away screaming.

Turning back, he called out, "Court dismissed!" The onlookers slowly made their way out until the room cleared up and only Sarah, the trio, and Jareth remained.

"So," he began, returning to his throne chair, "What are you here for, Harry Potter?"

Harry stared as he watched Jareth comfortably lounging in his chair, with one foot propped and a crystal weaving around his hands. He was strongly reminded of Crookshanks after a successful mouse hunt. King, indeed.

"Er," he stuttered. "Well…" It was all sort of overwhelming. Jareth's position did nothing to hide the bulge in his pants; in fact, it seemed to highlight it. Harry couldn't stop staring at this… glittering king.

Hermione saved him.

"We're here about one of your goblins, sir." She stepped up to bat, keeping her eyes firmly on the King's face, though hers was tomato red. "His name's Higgle and you've exiled him to Gringotts. We want his exile repealed."

Jareth nodded at the name. "And what do I get out of this? Why should I revoke a goblin's punishment?"

"Because… well, it's the right thing to do!" Hermione was having trouble coming up with ideas with the intimidating aura coming from him. She gulped.

Sarah closed her eyes, waiting for the words "Have fun in the Bog" to come out of his mouth. Instead, she heard laughter. Jareth's laughter.

"'The right thing to do'?" he repeated. "Since when has my kingdom become a charity?" He finished laughing and looked at them like the cat that ate the canary.

"Hoggle, come here."

Sarah wasn't as surprised as she should have been to see Hoggle revealing himself from behind the giant throne. He'd disappeared a while back and she figured he'd hang around somewhere to get his crown.

Jareth turned to lean closer to Hoggle. "When you told me you were returning, I expected you to bring Sarah back, not Sarah and her little wizard friends," he said so softly she had to strain to hear him. "Why are they here?"

Hoggle stumbled over his words for a minute before getting a sentence out. "They found Sarah through Higgle! They needed her help getting here and I had no choice!"

Jareth grinned then, a feral, evil grin. "Of course you didn't. Don't worry, you'll still get to be a Prince of the Labyrinth. In fact, I think I'll reward you now."

"Oh yes, please, I've waited so long for this—" Hoggle vanished as Jareth tossed a crystal at him.

"Where'd you send him?" Sarah asked accusingly. He smirked at her.

"To the Fireys, or do you object?"

She smirked back. "Nope, not at all. You'd think he'd learn after the first time."

"Now he's Prince of two things now: Bog of Stench and Land of the Fireys. I'm sure they'll make quick work of decapitating him," Jareth mused aloud. Sarah snickered but then grew serious.

"Enough with your ramblings, old man." That sure got his attention. "We're here for a reason."

"Oh, you were serious about letting Higgle come back?" Jareth raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sorry to say that my court is neutral to Aboveground affairs. I won't get involved in some stupid wizarding war."

"What makes you think this has anything to do with that?" Harry asked. He tried to keep his words even and calm.

"I'm not a fool," Jareth said disdainfully. "Higgle is connected to Gringotts, the safest and most secure bank in the world. You clearly need something from Gringotts or you wouldn't be going along with his demands in the first place. Not to mention, you have quite a reputation, Harry Potter. Why else would you be here, except to save the world?"

The four of them stared in shock as their whole unstable plan came crashing down around them. The King had figured everything out and now they had nothing to bargain with, no hidden advantage he couldn't see. Harry supposed if the King recognized him, it was probably easy enough to deduce, given that he was supposed to be the great Savior and all that.

Well, he wasn't a Gryffindor for his brains.

"You're a coward."

The ensuing tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.

"You hide here in your underground kingdom and let your own people die trying to fight even though they're already dying from magic deprivation. How shameful is that? And now, when you get the chance to help in some way without leaving your hiding place, you turn it down. What's next, you're going to stick me in some smelly swamp until I die?"

The other three gaped at Harry in varying degrees of admiration and fear for their lives. Hermione had to resist the same urge that drove her to punch Draco Malfoy in the face their third year and Ron was simply admiring his best friend's fighting spirit. He clearly wasn't thinking of the circumstances.

Sarah had to give Harry credit, he was definitely a brave one. Admittedly, being stuck in a place that only smelled bad didn't seem that frightening, but Sarah had been there before and she'd wish for death before she was stuck smelling that for the rest of her life.

"The Goblin Court is separate from any Aboveground problems. They have their own Courts to handle those issues. Fae are exiled there because they've committed unspeakable crimes," Jareth explained coldly.

"But Higgle hasn't done anything wrong! He was wrongly imprisoned because of some stupid backwards plan to get to me," Sarah argued. "And _you're_ going to agree with this because Hoggle told us all about you ordering him to spy on me."

"However," Jareth continued, ignoring Sarah's outburst and slyly watching them, "Since you three are the reason Sarah has returned to me, I'll give you a chance."

"' _Returned to you'? Where do you think you're going with that, Goblin King?"_

"What's the chance?" Harry asked cautiously.

Jareth smiled with his teeth.

"You just have to run the Labyrinth."

* * *

AN: So… Goblin King. Is he okay? Too OOC? I've probably written this chapter over 10 times trying to get it right, and I don't even know if it is, at this point. I've actually written a few more chapters ahead, but now I feel like I'll have to rewrite them… again.

 **And just as a heads up** , if anybody actually reads the AN: Jareth here is pretty cold to everybody, but he's different when he's alone with Sarah. I like to imagine he's not exactly in love with her, but more fond of her than, say, some passing goblin. Just keep that in mind please.


	8. Author's Note

Hi everyone,

I know it's been a while and in the months I haven't updated I've noticed some people have faved and followed the story, so I'm really glad of that. Like any other writer here that hasn't updated regularly, I only have the excuse that Real Life tends to interfere with my writing and I haven't written much since the last chapter.

I don't know if this news will come as happy or disappointing, but I've decided to try rewriting the story. When I first started, I wasn't sure if I wanted to make this a light kind of story, with humor and a nice plot, or if I wanted to make it darker, where Sarah, Harry and the crew might be stuck wandering the Labyrinth for a while, faced with some pretty nasty surprises. I think I want to try writing a darker version and rework some of the original chapters to fit the new tone of the story. As such, I won't be uploading new chapters right now, but now that the school year is reaching its end, I'm hoping to get more time to write in the upcoming months.

I also plan to only release chapters once I've gotten a number of them finished, so that if I ever have to stop uploading, such as during the school year, I'll still be able to release some to keep the story more regularly updated. I'm really sorry about this unexpected hiatus.

If there are any of you who care to reply, I was wondering if I should just replace the old chapters with the new ones once I've written them (does this site notify you if I do that?) or just start a new story and post a notice here to let you know I've started it?


End file.
